Control apparatus



P. L. MARDlS.

CONTROL APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED MAW-7.1919.

1 ,41 4,43 1 a nted May 2, 1922.

- I, l Ila l 7 I B B INVENT'OR WHNES ES= Y Pau/L/Vlardis.

. BY Wm m UNITED; STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL'L. ivrnnnrs, or SWISSVALE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR- To WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC. & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION or PENNSYLVANIA.

Application; filed March 7,

To all whom it; may concern: I

Be it known that I, PAUL L. MARnIs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Swissvale, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Control Apparatus, of which the following is a specification. v q 7 My invention relates to control apparatus and particularly to controllers of the automotoneer type for preventing a too rapid movement of control drums-or the like.

One object of my invention is toprovide an apparatus of the character indi-' cated, whereby a simple and reliable check is placed upon movements of a controller handle to preventinjuryto the apparatus to be controlled by reason of supplying too heavy a current thereto.

r More'specifically stated, it is an object of my invention to-provide a1plate or top cover fora controller having twoconcentri cally-related ,sets'of stops ,orlugs so, shaped as :to.=intermittently effect positive stops of the handle and the. associated controllerin a plurality of desired positions.

Other minor objects of my invention will vbecomefevident from the'following detailed description, taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawing, wherein r Figure 1 is plan View .of a controller handle and a covermember constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is. a sectional view, taken along the line II-.-II of F 1g. 1.

. ,Fig. 3 and-Fig. 4 are developed views taken: along the lines AB and. C-D, re-

spectively, of Fig. .1.

from 12 to 15, inclusive. Each of the stops has a sloping and a perpendicular face for purposes to be ,describechthe stop (Shaving itsperpendicular face located along the CONTROL APPARATUS.

1919. Serial Irv/amaze.v

Specificationof Letters Patent. Patented lay 2, 1922. I

controller, while the lugs 7 and 8 have, their perpendicular faces respectively in alinement with the positional lines marked 1 For. and 2-For., reference being had to the first and second forwardoperating positions of the controller. The lugs 7 and 8 have their perpendicular faces turned in the opposite direction to that of the stop 6, for a purpose to be hereinafter set forth;

The stops 9, 10 and 11, located on the other side of the intermediate brake position of the controller, correspond, respectively, to the lugs 6, 7 and 8 and are located in positions corresponding to Off, First reverse and Second. reverse, respectively, reference being made to the operation of the apparatus to be controlled.

Considering the inner circle of stops, those numbered 13 and 15 are exact'counterparts, instructure and radial location, of the lugs .8 and 11, respectively, of the outer circle, while the stops 12and '14 face in similar directions to the lugs 13 and 15, respectively, but are positioned close together to provide a centrally-located notch corresponding to the brake position of the con- .troller. i

The operating handle 5 comprises a channel or chambered member 16, one end of whichis provided with a hole to fit. over the square head 4 of the controller shaft while, near the other end, a grip or handle proper 18 is secured. A pin or button 19 extends upwardly through a longitudinal opening in the grip 18 andiis normally maintained in itsillustrated upper position by reason of engagement with an inverted -U-shaped me1nber 20 which 'is oscillatable about an intermediate pivotal point 21and isbiased, through the agency of a suitably located helical spring 22, toward the illustrated position,.wherein its right-hand arm 23 is in positionto engage one of the stops of the inner circle. The left-hand arm 24.-

of the U-shaped member 20 is located above the outer row of stops or lugs for the purpose of successively engaging them, under the shaft and, therefore, the controller drum toward the intermediate position marked Brake. For the sake of greater clearness, however, the operating handle 5 is illustrated as occupying the left-hand oli' position rather than its normal or biased position Brake. In practice, the controller is also provided with electrical contact members or mechanical means for effecting an emergency application of the vehicle airbrakes when the controller handle returns to its normal position, such, for example, as the structure shown in a copending applica tion of Arthur J. Hall, Serial No. 834l,54l6, filed April 25, 1914, and assigned to the ll estinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company.

Assuming that the controller occupies its normal or biased position Brake, then the U-shaped member 20 and the actuating pin 19 occupy the positions shown in Fig. 2, the 1-i, ;ht-l1a1id arm 23 being located in the notch between the lugs 12 and 14-. oi? the inner circle. Consequently, no movement of the handle can be effected until the pin 19 is de-- pressed by the hand of the motor-man to re move the arm 28 from the notch in question and allow rotative movement of the handle over the cover member 1, as tar as the stop or lug 9. The leithand arm i lof the U shaped member 20 rides along the inclined sur'tace oil. the stop 9, whereby the handle reaches the oil position and the pin 19, which has been pushed upwardly by contact 01 the arm with the stop 9, may again be de pressed. I

Further movement towards the left is halted by the lug at position marked 1 Rev, since the perpendicular face of the lug 10 is thereupon engaged by the arm 24. To eil'ect movement oil the controller handle beyond the lug 10, the pinv 19 must be allowed to reassume its illustrated upper position, whereupon the motorman will again press downwardly upon the pin 19 and move the handle towards the left.

Any desired number oi intermittent stops of the character just described may be made, thus providing the desired .checkingaction upon the movements of the operator to prevent the controller from supplying an unduly large current to the apparatus being controlled. In the drawing, however, for the sake oi simplicity, the position marked il liev. may be considered as the final reverse position and, therefore, the stops 11 and 1.5, forming parts of the outer and the inner circle of stops, respectively, are provided to prevent movement beyond this :[inal position. regardless oi whether the operator maintains the pin 19 in its depressed position or not.

Upon returning the controller towards its oil position, the arm 24: oi the oscillatable member rides along the inclined surface of the lug 10 and finally strikes the perpendicular face of the lug 9, corresponding to the off position, whereby movement of the drum is halted in the corresponding circuit-opening position.

It will be appreciated that analogous stepby-step movement of the controller handle is effected through the positions lying to the right of the intermediate brake position. In this way, a positive stop of the controller handle, corresponding to each notch in forward or reverse travel, and a positive stop in the off position, during the return movement, is effected. Thus, the operator is prevented from accidentally throwing his controller handle to the braking notch to stop the vehicle and lose time when he merely intended to return the handle to the off position to permit coasting of the vehicle, in readiness for another control operation.

Should the motorman remove his hand from th grip 1S and the pin 19 in any except the intermediate brake position of the controller, then the coil spring 25 immediately returns the handle to the brake position to effect the above-mentioned emergency application of the air-brakes or any other equivalent or desirable control arrangement. Under these conditions, also, the electrical accelerating circuit is, of course, broken.

I do not wish to be restricted to the specific structural details or arrangement of parts herein set forth, as various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope oi? my invention. I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be imposed thereupon as are indicated in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a movable handle embodying a rocking member, of independent sets of stationary means for engaging opposite ends oi said member to effect positive stops of said member in a series of positions.

2. The combination with a rotatable device embodying a rocking member, of concentrically related sets of stationary means for engaging opposite ends of said member to effect positive stops of said member in a plurality oi radial positions.

3. The combination with a plural-part member, of independent sets of stationary means for selectively engaging opposite ends of: one of the member parts during rocking movement of said member.

,, l 1 lhe combination wlth a rotatable device embodying a rocking member, of a plurality oit concentrically located sets of stationary stops for respectively engaging difterent ends of said member to intermittently interrupt the rotative movement of said device.

5. The combination with a rotatable handle having one part that rocks with respect to another, of an outer and an inner circle of stops, and means formin a portion of said handle for selectively e 'ecting engagement of opposite ends of said rocking part with the one or the other circle of stops.

6. The combination with a rotatable handle having a rocking member biased to a certain position, of an outer and an inner circle of stops, and means forming a portion of said handle for overcoming or yielding to the biasing action to cause said member to engage the one 'or the other circle of stops during its rocking movements.

7. The combination with a plate having a plurality of sets of stops, of a handle rotatable thereover and provided with a U-shaped rocking member having one of its arms biased to engage one of said sets of stops.

8. The combination with a plate having a plurality of concentrically related sets of stops severally having sloping and perpendicular faces, of a handle rotatable over said plate and having a rocking member biased to a position between two of the perpendicular faces of one set of stops, and a pin. positioned in said handle and dependent upon pressure to overcome the biasing effect upon said rocking member and permit rotative movement of the handle.

9. The combination with a plate having a plurality of concentrically related sets of stops severally having sloping and perpendicular faces, of a handle rotatable over said plate and having a rocking member biased to engage one set of stops, and means located in the handle and dependent upon pressure for engaging the perpendicular face of the one or the other of two stops of the other set when moved in opposite directions.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 19th day of Feb,

PAUL L. MARDIS.- 

